Beef stroganoff can be prepared in the morning and left to simmer in a slow cooker during the day. / Mealand Ragland-Hudgins/DNJ

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The Daily News Journal

Between Coach’s football practices, daughter’s dance rehearsals, birthday parties and other family obligations, busy is probably the best word to describe it.

But fall has officially arrived and so have the cooler temperatures associated with it.

My family has some comfort food favorites for this time of year — taco soup and chicken chili among them — but on a particularly chilly day, I needed to take some time and just breathe. So I pulled out the slow cooker to assist me.

I wanted to leave the standbys on standby and try something new so opted for beef stroganoff. It seems like each recipe involved large pieces of mushrooms and more chopped onions than Coach would care for, so I found myself coming up with ways to keep the original flavor of the dish while customizing it to fit my family.

The end result was a creamy concoction involving potatoes and the flavor of unseen onions. Either Coach didn’t notice the mushrooms or he kept quiet, because he gobbled it up without complaint.

Cut beef into smaller chunks, if needed. Season with pepper and garlic powder and place into slow cooker. Sprinkle soup mix on top. Pour soups on top, mix to combine. Cook on low for six hours. Add broth or wine and continue cooking another two hours, or until beef is tender. At end of cooking, stir in cream cheese and heavy cream. Serve over rice or noodles.

Contact Mealand Ragland-Hudgins at 615-278-5189 or mragland@dnj.com. Follow her on Twitter @dnj_mrhudgins.